Taxi!

For such a big city, the downtown Chicago Loop is relatively easy to navigate -- all you really need to know is where the river is and look up to find the Sears tower. 

Not the Sears Tower -- the Tribune Tower.
Springtime in Chicago makes you forget winter's misery.

I love exploring Chicago. Each time I go to Chicago, I find something new -- and I usually end up finding new places thanks to the Chicago Instagramers group. This past Saturday was no exception. With a group of more than 100 photographers, I wandered through Chinatown, the Prairie District and the Museum Campus. (The group went on to the Navy Pier and Milton Olive Park, but I had to head home for a previous commitment.) If you're on Instagram, check out the #wwim9_igerschicago tag for a collection of photos from the meetup! 

Ping Tom Park

Chinatown

I've yet to drive the downtown streets, and don't plan to anytime soon, thanks to all the options there are to get around Chicago. I walked more than 8 miles Saturday, took a bus from the Museum Campus to Union Station, plus rode the train back to the 'burbs. There's also Divvy bikes, the El, and cabs. And my new favorite: Chicago Water Taxi. 

Until last year, I didn't even know there were water taxis. They. Are. Awesome. If you ever visit Chicago in the warm-weather months, try to take a water taxi instead of a regular cab if you can. The views are incredible. Plus: you're on a boat! Chicago Water Taxi has stops at Ogilvie/Union, LaSalle/Clark, the Magnificent Mile, North Avenue, and Chinatown on the weekdays and weekends. 

I'll be on the water taxi a lot this summer. Chicago Water Taxi had a photo challenge for Instagramers Saturday, and I somehow lucked out and won it. 

My winning photo -- Wrigley Building in the background
-- see how the opening in the clouds mimics the architectural shape? 

The prize? A season pass on Chicago Water Taxi! I plan to spend quite a bit of time traveling on the river this summer. I haven't been to the North Avenue Beach yet, so that will probably be my first destination when the route starts next week. 

Of course there will be pictures.